Page 9 of An Unlikely Knight

Liam looked away, his gaze on the fire. “I will not leave you at his mercy. I am no fool, I will disappear, but I will return to rescue you. Know that. All I will vow is to leave, but only so that I can return and help you.”

“I guess that will have to do,” Padriag replied. “This is nice whiskey. I think we should open another bottle and get totally and absolutely pissed.”

“Sounds like a great idea.” Liam stood. “I’ll get it.”

For over a week, there had been no sign of Meliot’s dark forces. Despite it, when Liam left to go to Scotland, Padriag fortified his wards and remained inside, ensuring every window shutter stayed closed and bolted.

One morning just after Liam had returned the night before, loud knocks on the front door startled Padriag awake. He’d been sitting in front of the fireplace contemplating how to get to the land where Prince Sterling ruled and must have fallen asleep.

By the time he stood, Liam came down the stairs and headed for the door.

“Wait!” Padriag called out. “We don’t just open doors here. We do not have friendly neighbors coming over to borrow a cup of sugar. Our neighbors are assholes that want to eat us.”

Liam gave him a droll look. “I foresaw this visitor. He is safe.” With that, he removed the crossbar and opened the door to a tall, muscular man dressed in leathers.

The pale skinned, silver-haired visitor had the bearing and build of a warrior. Ice-blue eyes moved from Liam to Padriag. “I am called Veylen, I am here to escort you to Esland.”

“How are we to travel?” Padriag asked. “I didn’t hear the dragon.”

“Mounts await for us in the forest. I assume you can dematerialize from here.” Not waiting for a reply, Veylen turned back to the door. “We must go at once, the veil you’ve cast that is keeping your enemies away will not last much longer.”

“That’s rude,” Padriag said. “My wards are pretty strong.”

Veylen turned to look at him. “Then how did I get to your doorway?”

Padriag narrowed his eyes, to see the woven pattern of his magical barrier. It looked to be intact except for an opening directly in front of the door. “Good question.”

It didn’t take long for Liam and Padriag to strap on daggers and swords and grab the sacks they’d already packed. As one the three of them dematerialized following Veylen’s trail until materializing in a forest.

“What in the four-legged hell are those?” Padriag pointed at enormous saddled beasts, unable to keep his mouth from falling open.

The strange animals pawed at the earth, their colossal hooves striking the ground with a deep, resonant thud. Their hulking bodies of thick, dark gray hide were twice the size of a Clydesdale yet bore the unmistakable power and bulk of a bull rather than the sleek frame of a horse. Towering antlers arched skyward, their points razor-sharp, elongated snouts with tusks gave them a fierce, boar-like visage. A strange, iridescent sheen glazed their eyes—a trait that, perhaps, allowed them to see in darkness.

“Aurochs,” Veylen snapped, his impatience evident as he seized the reins and hoisted himself onto the back of one of the creatures. “Mount, we must hurry.”

Padriag and Liam exchanged brief glances before following suit, slinging their sacks onto the wide saddles before climbing up. The moment Padriag settled atop the beast, he felt an unexpected sense of security. The sheer height, the immense power beneath him was unlike riding any horse.

As they surged forward, the aurochs galloped with a breathtaking blend of power and grace, their massive frames defying expectation. Their long, muscular strides devoured the rugged terrain with effortless precision, hooves striking the earth in a steady, rhythmic cadence. Despite their imposing size, their movements were remarkably fluid, each motion rolling seamlessly into the next, as if the land itself bowed beneath their weight. Perched atop the broad back, Padriag felt little more than a smooth, swaying motion—no harsh jolts or bone-rattling shocks, only the sensation of gliding forward with an unstoppable force.

After about half a day of travel they arrived at the edge of Atlandia. to a land neither Liam nor Padriag had ever been. It was Sterling’s realm, which, according to rumors they’d heard, was a forbidden place for anyone not from there.

It struck Padriag as strange, since Sterling was brother to the rulers of Atlandia. But then again, sibling rivalry and all that. Perhaps in the past there had been some sort of disagreement between them bringing about the set boundaries.

Veylen looked over to them, brows lowered, and lips pressed together in a stern way. It was as if he was unsure they were worthy of entering his homeland.

“We are entering Esland, once in our realm, departing is against our laws,” he called out.

Liam and Padriag exchanged droll looks. “Dramatic,” Padriag murmured under his breath. Obviously Veylen heard it because he turned and glared at him.

They crossed through what looked to be a thick mist that made it impossible to see anything past their noses. Obviously, the aurochs were unaffected as they continued forward at the same fast speed.

Slowly, mists dissipated as aurochs continued forward, but at a slower pace, giving Padriag an opportunity to observe the startling new surroundings. This was a land like nothing he could even imagine.

Plush hills and valleys covered in lush vegetation resembling moss, as far as the eye could see. Trees of every size reached toward the vibrant yellow skies that reminded him of sunset although the suns were still high, partly hiding behind effervescent pinkish clouds. On several hillsides, a sort of drizzle fell, that caused a myriad of rainbows. Colorful birdlike creatures with long tails soared from the treetops, through the rainbows circling, wings outstretched.

The vast valley was split by a road on which they traveled, that was flanked on both sides by deep ravines with no visible bottom. Padriag ensured a strong hold on the reins and leaned to the right to peer over the edge. Other than trees and moss, he couldn’t see how deep the chasm was.

“Falling would suck,” he murmured. Liam glanced over to him with a look of agreement and motioned to the hillside with his eyes.